How Dave Castro Impacts the Games Season

January 6   |   POWERED BY

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

• Start the year off right and become an RX member for just $1 and get 20% off at Reebok.

In today’s edition:

• A lot of details on Castro’s exodus.
• You can now purchase fitness apparel using cryptocurrency.
• Our initial takes on the firing of Dave Castro.
• Battle Cancer signs a major deal with Nike.

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” - Mary Kay Ash

Northern Spirit Makes CrossFit History by Accepting Cryptocurrency

Members of the CrossFit community now have another way to pay for some of their favorite gear. Swedish fitness apparel brand Northern Spirit has announced that it now accepts cryptocurrency as a form of payment. Bitcoin, Bitcoin cash, Dai, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Usdc are all accepted forms of payment at the Northern Spirit store and online.

One big thing: The concept of cryptocurrency has existed since the early 1980s, but it has taken over society in recent years and is slowly making its way into the CrossFit industry.

• The Rogue Invitational offered bitcoin as a portion of their very lucrative prize purse.
• Two Games athletes, Ricky Garard and James Newbury, recently offered up NFTs (non-fungible token) for sale.

Northern Spirit has grown considerably since its 2013 launch in Sweden. Co-founders Niklas Carlson and Joakim Loveng added a webshop in 2014 and then began making a bigger impact across Europe, most notably at the French Throwdown in 2016. The most recent move was the addition of two-time CrossFit Games athlete Willy Georges as a sponsored athlete. He joins on a two-year deal after previously working with Nike.

The bottom line: Northern Spirit has been on a steady rise since its launch in 2013. The European company has now set itself up to become even bigger by embracing cryptocurrency and providing more options for its customers.

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Leading the news…CrossFit fired Dave Castro late Tuesday evening. CEO Eric Roza called Castro to deliver the news. The decision was not mutual according to Castro.

• The news comes just several days after Castro announced that all workouts for the 2022 CrossFit Open were finalized and “will be very painful.”
• Castro in a tweet: “I wonder if they are still going to use my open workouts?”
• Dave Castro branded baseball caps will be sold on Rogue Fitness soon.

MUST WATCH: Lost in the shuffle of yesterday’s big news…Our sit down interview with Sara Sigmundsdottir after placing 7th in her first competition back since her season-ending injury.

Scott Panchik will now be competing at Wodapalooza.

• Here’s who else is on the roster.

Win a signed copy of Mat Fraser’s new book: “Hard Work Pays Off: Train. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.” We’re giving away 20 copies signed by the champ.

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SNEAK PEEK: Bethany Shadburne’s limited Born Primitive collection drops on Monday, January 10 at 9:00 AM ET, with VIP access starting on Friday.

• P.S. She’ll be competing at Wodapalooza next week in her first competition since missing out at the 2021 CrossFit Games

Initial Thoughts on Firing of Dave Castro | The Bottom Line

Battle Cancer Unveils Major Partnership With Nike

Fresh off a landmark year, Battle Cancer has unveiled a massive, new partnership that will help spread the word and raise money for people that have faced a cancer diagnosis and are now in recovery programs. The UK-based organization has joined forces with Nike.

One big thing: Battle Cancer has 13 events scheduled for 2022 – four of which will take place in the United States at massive venues. Joining forces with Nike will make these events even bigger while simultaneously supporting other nonprofit organizations in Project Onyx, Barbells for Boobs, the Out Foundation, the ATA, and others. The goal is to form a “nonprofit Avengers” that raises money to support multitudes of people.

A sturdy foundation: Nike will not simply provide some marketing help during 2022 and beyond as part of the three-year deal. The company will actually provide support through three separate pillars..

• The first pillar will focus on the Nike Training Club app. The Battle Cancer Program will be available on the app, along with food information, training advice, and workouts.
• The second pillar will focus on the 13 Battle Cancer events that will take place in 2022. Nike will inform those that have Nike Memberships about upcoming events, as well as the discounts and exclusive merchandise that may be available. The Nike Event Team will also help Battle Cancer in key cities such as Los Angeles and Houston.
• The third pillar is the product. Nike will partner with Battle Cancer to release an exclusive line of gear designed by people responsible for professional football team kits, creating a memorable piece of merchandise that will spread Battle Cancer’s message.

Ben Keers, the Sport Performance and Lifestyle Marketing Manager at Nike, spearheaded this massive partnership. He followed Battle Cancer for years and took it upon himself to go to several people inside of Nike and discuss how Nike could help Britton’s organization make a bigger impact.

• “So quite a lot of partnerships – to be honest – is me pitching to brands to work with us and see what we can do together,” said Scott Britton, founder and director of Battle Cancer. “And yet the biggest sports company in the world came to us. We are so thankful to Ben Keers for believing in what we do and championing Battle Cancer internally at Nike.”

Freya Britton, co-founder of the Battle Cancer Program: “It’s just incredible to kind of learn from brands like Nike. We’re working with them and a design agency to develop the Battle Cancer brand and think about our audience and the whole experience. It’s a huge uplift for all involved – from participants on the Battle Cancer Program, athletes at Battle Cancer events, spectators, volunteers – and we’re very excited to share more.”

One of the biggest parts of the partnership is the opportunity to win exclusive prizes. Though Nike is not simply giving out free shirts to people that posted the best times in workouts. They and Battle Cancer are putting an emphasis on raising money to help other people.

• “So you know, this year we had a team that fundraised £15,000 just as one team,” Britton said. “They got a trip to Wodapalooza. Nike has given us some basic ‘money can’t buy’ prizes across the world. You can only get those prizes by fundraising.”
• “So it doesn’t matter what your physical output is. You’re going to win tickets to matches in VIP boxes, you’re going to meet athletes, and you can get exclusive products that no one else can get. But that’s only because you’re fundraising to support your charity.”

What about the split? With so many nonprofit organizations working with Battle Cancer in 2022, there are questions about how the funds will split.

The answer is simple. When someone signs up for a Battle Cancer event, they will list the organization of their choice. 100% of their fundraising will then go to various organizations. Some examples are Project Onyx, Barbells for Boobs, the Out Foundation, and any other cancer charity.

Bottom line: Battle Cancer’s 2021 featured the largest one-day event in the foundation’s history, as well as $730,000 raised to provide support for post-cancer treatment. With the new partnership in hand, Battle Cancer will only reach greater heights in 2022 while simultaneously providing support for other nonprofit organizations.

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...KNOW

How Hot Should Your Bedroom Be?

A major sleep disturbance is a room that’s either too hot or too cold. The wrong temperature can cause you to wake up during the night from tossing and turning and limit you from having full sleep cycle. Check out some research on the optimal sleep temperature and see how you can get a better nights sleep.

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How CARs Can Make You Stronger

Controlled Articular Rotations (CARs) utilize rotations in your extremeties to increase range of motion and strength. Perfect for accessory work or days off. Check out this routine from Bethany Shadburne which you can add into your programming.

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A Free WHOOP Strap 4.0 And First Month's Membership

Turn your resolution into a revolution this year by tracking your body's performance with a free WHOOP Strap 4.0 and first month's membership. WHOOP measures your body's data over 100 times a second to provide personalized feedback on your recovery, strain, and sleep.

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Move Your Feet More

One common cause of issues in cleans and snatches is lack of movement in your feet. If you aren't receiving the bar in a comfortable squatting position for you, you're going to struggle to get back up. Check out this example and start lifting more weight.

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a tip.

• 🎂 Happy birthday Carolyn Prevost and Emma Lawson (Wednesday).
• Congratulations Allie Lamay from 802 CrossFit in Essex Junction, VT on your 385 pound/175kg deadlift PR.
• Congratulations Paul Boucher from CrossFit Hyperion in Pleasant Grove, UT on your max set of 8 unbroken ring muscle-ups.
• Cody Anderson hit a 3RM back squat PR at 420 pounds/190kg.
• Congratulations Shayne Brown from CrossFit Chippewa Falls in Wisconsin on the 305 pound/138kg split jerk.
• Congratulations Ray Neylon from CrossFit Park Ridge in Chicago, IL on adding 20 pounds to your power clean with the 275 pound/125kg PR.

Girls Gone Rx Orlando is still accepting registrations for their competition on January 22nd. There are two divisions of 3 person all-female teams. The event will be held at EOB CrossFit in Ormond Beach, FL.

See all upcoming events